The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1887-06-29
.urely coming. But what sort Of a

surely coming. But what sort Of q
visitor will it be2 All, wait q moment I
If our right eye commences to itch, the
question Is answered; an agreeable,
delightful person is coming. Suppose,
however, we are disposed to rub our left
visual organ, then we may be sure the
visitor is a huffish, disagreeable old
stick, whose offensive remarks will bring
tears to our eyes, and we will be well
justified in being mot at home.p If, on
some bright morning, we experience q
simultaneous itching of nose, right eye,
and right and left hands, we are GER
tainly in luck; some one is coming, one
whom we desire to see, with whom we
will be on friendly terms and shake
hands, and who will pay us money.
Sitting one night quietly reading, a
young lady in the next room, who was
engaged in doing some sewing for the
family, picked up a broom and began to
sweep up some scraps and clippings that
had fallen on the floor. Instantly my
grandmother, with horror depicted on
her countenance, snatched the broom
from her hands with the exclamation,
"Do you want to sweep all the luck out
OF the hot1sef Don't you know 1t is
dreadful bad luck to sweep room at
nightin ~ .usnos ss. bic
The young lady, was skeptical, She
said she had often swept her room of a
night.
DWELL" was the reply, "what kind Of
luck have you ever hads Haven't you
always been poor and scuffiing for a
liyingp
Rather harsh, but meant in all kind
ness.
Strolling about the woods one bright
summers day, when nature had been
freshened by thunderstorm of the
night previous, | came across large
tree, evidently an aristocrat among its
fellows, riven by thunderbolt, lying
prostrate on the ground. Its trunk Is
shattered, It's bark torn of IN places, It's
limbs broken, 1t lies dismantled and de-
throned. The venerable African who
accompanied us stood aghast at the pro-
posal to convert the fallen tree into
firewood. "Bad luck to burn tree that's
been struck by lightnin', boss,n said he
earnestly; "lightnin strike your house
sho If you do AS an offset to this mel
ancholy news he informed us that the
use of these splinters as toothpicks
would infallibly preserve the teeth from
decay, and would forever put to flight
that foe to human happiness, the tooth
ache. sss-sf lMF.
In the halcyon days Of youth, when
playing about the farm, not unfre-
quently became involved In dispute
witha bee, q yellow jacket or a hornet.
The question at issue was generally set
tied by the insect sailing away tri-
umphant, leaving me fully impressed by
the point of its arguments. At such Pc
RODS, when my youthful features were
convulsed with agony, was told that
relief could be obtained by plucking
three weeds at random and rubbing them
on the affected spot. / plucked, rubbed
and was relieved, but whether the trium-
virate of weeds did 1t, or whether Father
Time finally laid an assuaging finger on
my wound, Twas then unable to say. /
have often seen both colored and white
people rush with howl of pain to a
group of weeds and pluck and rub In
dustriously, with faith imprinted on their
faces
A colored man once called at the house
TO do some Job of work in the back yard.
He knocked at the front door and to
save time we invited him to walk through
the hall into the yard.
mo, indeed, sah," said he; "that would
bring bad luck on your house."
l sought an explanation, and he in
formed me that for any one but mem
Der of the family to come In the front
door and go out the back was most
unlucky event and certain precursor
of bad luck.
Now, suppose that man had been ma
licious, misanthrope, he might, prob
ably would, have accepted my invitation
and walked through the house. thereby
Involving the family in perfect laby-
rinth of woes.
These are only some of the more COM
mon of the superstitions of farm life.
The list might be largely extended.
JAS. q. PLuMMBR.